Dead dog Sheffield: Neglected dog found dead in suitcase with evidence it may have been drowned, say RSPCA

A neglected dog was found dead in a suitcase in Sheffield on Tuesday - with evidence suggesting it was drowned and dumped.

The black plastic suitcase was found dumped in a wooded area in Spring Close Dell in Gleadless Valley by a member of the public on July 18.

Animal rescue charity the RSPCA was called to collect the body, and was taken to a vet by animal rescue officer Liz Braidey for further examinations and to see if any clues - such as a microchip - may help identify the owner and establish the cause of death.

Residents on local Facebook group ‘Lost and found pets all Sheffield areas’ say the dog was a Mali type.

It comes after a neglected dead dog - who was later identified as a missing dog from Manchester named Brodie - was found wrapped in a duvet and dumped near to Agden Reservoir in April. He was discovered by a dog walker and his son, and prompted a police hunt for CCTV or dashcam footage for any vehicles in the area that may have brought Brodie to the scene.

Then, just two weeks later, a dead female Staffordshire bull terrier was found abandoned in Shirtcliff Brook, Woodhouse.

Prior to this, a two-year-old Border Collie was found dead near Leighton Road in Gleadless Valley in March.

The horrific find in Gleadless Valley on Tuesday came on what the RSPCA called its “busiest day of the year”, during which it received 4,060 calls to its cruelty line. Other incidents on the day also saw them called out to a dead puppy found in a garden with body parts missing in South Wales and a cat thrown from a moving car in Cheshire.

It comes as the charity is currently holding its ‘Cancel Out Cruelty’ campaign to raise funds for its frontline rescue teams.

Tom Buckley, hub manager at the RSPCA’s National Control Centre, based in Wath-on-Dearne, near Barnsley, said: “We take more than a million calls a year but summer is our peak time - with mid July typically being when we receive more calls. The calls we receive are heartbreaking - our dedicated call takers never know what they will hear when they answer the call, but it can range from a report of animals being beaten, shot, abandoned or poisoned.

“Our call handlers know they can make a difference because, working together with frontline rescuers, they can help save lives and coordinate rescues of all types of animals.

“That’s why we need the public’s support more than ever to help Cancel Out Cruelty so our call staff and frontline rescuers along with centre and branch staff, can work together to help all those animals in need.”

In Yorkshire there were1,520 reports of intentional harm against animals made to the RSPCA last year compared to 1,229 in 2021 - a 23 per cent increase.

Reports are prioritised and tasked out to frontline rescue teams across England and Wales who work to help bring animals to safety, and animal abusers to justice.